Month: May 2015

The week of May 31st began with a bright and sunny Sunday with temperatures in the 80’s. The skies were blue with some puffy white clouds and relatively high humidity. By evening clouds began to consolidate and showers led to heavy rain overnight.Monday began with rain showers which were predicted to remain throughout the day and into Tuesday morning. The highs on Monday were not forecast to reach 60. On Tuesday the showers should give way to some sun after noon with highs reaching into the mid 60’s. By Wednesday the temperatures rises into the low 70’s but with cloudy skies. Thursday should bring more sun with temperatures still in the low 70’s. Friday’s forecast calls for more clouds and some showers with highs again in the low 70’s. Saturday will be sunny and pleasant with highs again in the low 70’s. Sunscreen and insect repellant would be a good addition to your pack. Keep hydrated since you will be able to hiker longer and in greater comfort. Once you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Remember, the weather forecast is only a prediction and always contains percentages. Be prepared and have a plan for the most likely and least likely forecast! Are you prepared to stay out overnight on a trail? Conditions in the morning can change drastically by afternoon. Conditions at the trailhead do not always reflect the conditions on the peaks! Variable trail and weather conditions are a hallmark of these mountains. BE CAREFUL AND BE PREPARED!

On Saturday, May 31st, I was ready for the first work day for the Willowemoc Trail crew. I had prepared by sending out emails and asking others to post information on their sites. Lisa at Morgan Outdoors included the work day in her emails. I also made sure to have the correct paperwork for as many as twenty people since I had gotten a variety of responses to my emails. I was at Morgan Outdoors at 9:00 AM to meet those who wanted to follow me to Frick Pond. By 9:15 AM no volunteers had appeared so I headed to Frick Pond. I parked in the big lot next to a pickup truck. There was no one in the truck so I waited until 9:25 AM when a car pulled up next to me. Continue reading →

On Tuesday, May 26th, I wanted to get in a hike in the morning since thunderstorms were predicted for the afternoon and I had track practice anyway. The forecast for the rest of the week also called for storms which I knew might limit my hiking. I decided that I needed a hike close to home but wanted to get away from Frick Pond! I thought about a list of options and settled on a hike from Alder Lake to the Beaver Meadow lean-to. I got my gear and Sheila in the car and headed up the Beaverkill Road somewhere around 8:45 AM. When I lifted the pack into the car, it seemed vary light without my tree trimming equipment! I headed toward Turnwood and Alder Creek Road where I made a left and drove to the Alder Lake parking lot. Continue reading →

On Sunday, May 24th I wanted to return to the area of Frick and Hodge Ponds to hike. I also wanted to fell a tree that had some branches that were loosely attached at the top and might be a danger to hikers passing by. My son-in-law Brad was happy to go with me so we started out for Frick Pond at about 11:30 AM after attending church. We got ready to go applying bug repellant since the previous days in the area let us know what we would encounter. We got our gear and Sheila in the car and headed out to Frick Pond. When we parked at 11:45 PM there was a car in the large lot but we never encountered the owners. As we got out of the car, there were a few insects but fewer than we had encountered on the previous weekend. The temperature was in the high 60’s but the humidity was lower than it had been. We walked to the larger parking area to get on the Quick Lake Trail to Frick Pond. The plan was to hike the Quick Lake Trail to Iron Wheel Junction and then continue on that Trail to the Flynn Trail. Continue reading →

The week of May 24th began with a bright and sunny Sunday with temperatures in the 70’s. The skies were blue with some wispy white clouds and relatively low humidity. Monday should even warmer with highs in the 80’s and sunny skies. For the rest of the week the forecast looks much the same each day. There will be sunny skies with temperatures hovering around 80 but with the threat of showers and thunderstorms every day. Most of the storms will appear in the afternoon. The sun may be bright at times and the insects are definitely out. Sunscreen and insect repellant would be a good addition to your pack. Remember, the weather forecast is only a prediction and always contains percentages. Be prepared and have a plan for the most likely and least likely forecast! Are you prepared to stay out overnight on a trail? Conditions in the morning can change drastically by afternoon. Conditions at the trailhead do not always reflect the conditions on the peaks! Variable trail and weather conditions are a hallmark of these mountains. BE CAREFUL AND BE PREPARED!

On Friday, May 22nd Cindy and I decided to return to the area of Frick Pond to cut some more blowdowns. I had some choose to do around the house so we didn’t get started until after 11:30 AM. We got ready to go applying bug repellant since the previous days in the area let us know what we would encounter. We got our gear and Sheila in our car and headed out to Frick Pond. When we parked at 11:45 PM there was a car in the large lot but we never encountered the owners. As we got out of the car, there were a few insects but fewer than we had encountered on the previous weekend. The temperature was in the high 60’s but the humidity was lower than it had been. We walked to the larger parking area to get on the Quick Lake Trail to Frick Pond. The plan was to hike the Quick Lake Trail to Iron Wheel Junction and then continue on that Trail to the Flynn Trail. I knew there were a few blowdowns on the Quick Lake Trail and more on the Flynn Trail. Continue reading →

On Wednesday, May 20th Lisa wanted to go on a short, local hike so we decided on the Split Rock Lookout on the Pelnor Hollow Trail. The lookout has some nice views and is close to home. The temperature was in the mid 40’s when I picked Lisa up at her house on the Beaverkill Road. I drove across the Beaverkill Covered Bridge to Holiday Brook Road. After turning right on the road, I drove to the parking area for the Mary Smith Trail on the right of the road and parked at 9:00 AM. We ready to hike almost immediately and cross the road to begin. The first part of the trail out to the power lines was damp but the best part was the complete lack of insects which had been prevalent on the last few hikes. We crossed the power line right-of-way and followed a faint path into the woods passing a small rock cairn. The trail remained damp in spots but everything was very green as we hiked. The prickers which dominate this trail in the summer were absent which made the going much more pleasant. The hike to the top of the ridge is about 1.1 miles but is a little steeper in some spots than I remembered. The overall elevation gain is about 500 feet. Continue reading →

On Sunday, May 17th Cindy and I decided to return to the Flynn Trail in the area of Frick Pond to cut some öre blowdowns. I preached two services and did not get home until 12:30 PM. We immediately got ready to go applying liberal amounts of bug repellant since the previous day let us know what we would encounter. We got our gear and Sheila in our car and headed out to Frick Pond. When we parked at 1:00 PM there was a car in the small lot and one in the larger lot. As we got out of the car, we were immediately engulfed by a swarm of insects. The temperature was already in the mid 70’s and the humidity was high. We walked across the road and headed up the Flynn Trail passing our work from the day before. As we walked, we cleared a few small branches and some larger ones which were on the trail. When we were walking, the insects were manageable but each time stopped they flew in a cloud around us. We cleared two larger blowdowns. One was almost flat on the ground while the other was hung up like the one that we cut on Saturday. These went relatively quickly using both saws as appropriate. Continue reading →

The week of May 17th began with a bright and sunny Sunday with temperatures nearing 80 in some places. The threat of thunderstorms did not materialize although the humidity ran high all day. Monday should be cooler with highs in the low 70’s and more clouds in the sky. The temperatures rises slightly on Tuesday into the mid-70’s with a threat of some scattered showers. The remainder of the week through Saturday will be sunny with only a few clouds. Wednesday may be the coolest day with a high of 60 degrees. The temperatures may rises slightly but will never get above the mid 60’s. The sun has been bright at times and the insects are out. Sunscreen and insect repellant would be a good addition to your pack. Remember, the weather forecast is only a prediction and always contains percentages. Be prepared and have a plan for the most likely and least likely forecast! Are you prepared to stay out overnight on a trail? Conditions in the morning can change drastically by afternoon. Conditions at the trailhead do not always reflect the conditions on the peaks! Variable trail and weather conditions are a hallmark of these mountains. BE CAREFUL AND BE PREPARED!

On Saturday, May 16th I wanted to try out my Silky saws on some of the larger blowdowns around Frick Pond. Cindy decided to come with me which pleased me as I knew doing the work alone was not a good idea and help is always appreciated. We left the house at just after 9:00 AM but stopped in town at the Livingston Manor Garden Day to pick up some plants. By the time we took the plants back to the house it was after 9:30 AM as we started up the DeBruce Road. We arrived in the parking to find one other car parked. It was already in the high 60’s and the forecast was for even warmer weather so I left my jacket in the car and wore only a long-sleeved shirt. Both of us noticed that there were a lot of insects flying round even at the car. Cindy put on some repellant and we headed out the Quick Lake trail to Frick Pond. Continue reading →